Read moreIt’s never just another day.
AAHSA Discussion-Age Friendly Cities
One of the discussions I sat in on at this year AAHSA annual meeting in Philadelphia was on the concept and need for Global Age friendly Cities, a definition being: “An age-friendly city that adapts its structures and services to be accessible to, and inclusive of, older people with varying needs and capacities.” Cities that have this inclusive vision ensure that communities remain vibrate and diverse, recognizing that age is also a culture that we all can learn from.
Quote: “As of 2007, over half of the world’s people live in cities and by 2030, about three out our every five people will be urban dwellers. At the same time as cities are fast growing, the proportion of older people worldwide is rising rapidly; from about 600 million today, the number of people aged 60 and older will double to reach 1.2 billion by 2025. Both these trends are occurring at a much faster rate in developing countries.”
The Famous Steps
This AAHSA (American Homes and Services for the Aging) presentation by Alexandre Kalache MD PhD, Chief, ‘Aging & Health’ Programme, World Health Organization, provided a very comprehensive picture and idea of the consequences of creating age-friendly cities. Who hasn’t ascended or descended beautifully looking marble steps and gotten a sense of trepidation and anxiety as a result. I know that I have. When Stallone as Rocky went up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs (that wasn’t the City Hall) there wasn’t a handrail in sight. Not that he’d need one.
Dr. Kalache included in his slide presentation a similar set of stairs… marble, indistinguishable, at different levels, no handrail on either side plus rows of cactus plants on one. I hope that there is an elevator in that building or a very generous insurance policy covering any falls. The speaker said that the to learn more about how to make your city age-friendly, get the World Health Organization’s report by the same name.
